You're so smart, you know you could've been a school book
I've been giving out book recommendations rather a lot lately, and I thought it might be useful to post some thoughts about some of the books I've been reading lately. Mostly because hey, I'm avoiding laundry right now, and it seems like a good way to do that and still look productive. I'm not going to do full-on reviews because I'm not confident enough in my abilities there, and also I'm exactly the person who would spoil the surprises if I did, so instead I'm just going to give my like of the writing and style, and say if I recommend the book or the author in general. Because it's less work for me that way, too.
I don't suppose it's any surprise to anyone who knows me that I read a lot. And I read a lot of YA partly because it's totally my bag, and because I'm writing YA type stuff, and also did I mention it's my bag? So I'll start with the YA I've been reading lately. Um, gathering the books here so I can list them out, uh, I read a lot. And this isn't even counting the older stuff I've re-read just because I love it and can't stop myself. Huh. Er, here goes.
Shannon Hale - The Books of Bayern series which includes "The Goose Girl," "Enna Burning," "River Secrets," and "Forest Born." The first one starts with a very fairy tale feel to it, as the author jumped off from a fairy tale storyline. But the world gathers weight and a rolling forward of its own that just pulled me in. I like Ms. Hale's style, and I really enjoyed these books. I also liked her "Book of a Thousand Days," which is set in another world but still has that deep-set other culture folk tale feel. I highly recommend. Her characters are likeable without being too pat, and while some of the dialog doesn't always work for me, I think the writing is really sound otherwise. (Only *some* of the dialog didn't work for me. Other parts totally rocked.)
Thalia Chaltas - "Because I am Furniture," deals with abusive family issues. (No spoilers here, it says that on the jacket cover.) This is a story written in free-verse poetry told from the point of view of a girl whose family is broken. While it won't be everyone's cup of tea, I really liked it. I liked the punch of the ending lines in the poems, the sock in the gut that poetry delivers with the point of that thought, that verse. And I like that even in the midst of hell and heartbreak, this girl finds her voice and her strength and tells her story, punches and all.
Carrie Ryan - "The Forest of Hands and Teeth." As I told Scott that night when I crawled into bed, I am not allowed to read zombie apocalypse stories before bedtime. Or maybe at all. This is amazing writing, amazing storytelling, really intriguing characters and plot. But I was heartsick by the end of the book, and I don't think I can read the sequel (which is "The Dead-Tossed Waves," out now). If you like zombie apocalypses, I highly recommend this book. The writing is fabulous, and it's really original in feel. You can have my copy. I think I need it to leave the house to cut down on my nightmares.
Megan Whalen Turner - "A Conspiracy of Kings." This series begins with "The Thief," which is AWESOME, as are the next two books in the series, "The Queen of Attolia," and "The King of Attolia." And I can not say enough good things about this series. Buy it. Read it. Love it. The writing is amazing, the characters are intoxicating, and the plotlines - oh, the intricate, intricate details of planning! I aspire to be this good. I despair of ever making it. But I will buy and devour everything she writes from now on. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.
Catherine Gilbert Murdock - "Front and Center." This is a series that starts with "Dairy Queen," and then "The Off Season." I really like the voice of this character. This is a 15 year old farm girl in Wisconsin (I like it already) who loves sports more than anything. And she really wants to play football, which she knows she's good at because she plays with her brothers all the time. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue. Very well written, lots of sass and confusion, lots of big fish little pond and fish out of water kinds of stuff. Although more with cows than fish (dairy farm, duh).
Carrie Vaughn - "Voices of Dragons." I've read all the "Kitty" books of Carrie's, and I really enjoy them (they're not YA, so I'm not going to go into that here). This is her first published non-Kitty book, her first YA, and I like it even more. The main character is in high school, living in the Colorado town that borders the dragon territories. You heard me. And it's awesome. It's pretty clearly not a done story, but I don't know what the timeline is for more books in this world. But I'd still say read it and you'll love it. Because daredevil rockclimbing girls and their dragons are pretty freakin awesome, that's why. (Small disclaimer - I know Carrie from conventions and I like her personally. But I would read her books even if I didn't.)
Scott Westerfeld - "Leviathan." This is the first book of his that I've read. I've heard that the "Uglies" series is fantastic, but I just - dystopian societies (like zombie apocalypses) kind of freak me out. So I haven't tried them yet. But *this*, this is steampunk reimagining of World War I, and it has steampunk *and* fantastical Darwinist beasts of monstrous proportions. Living airships, people! He might not be the first to do it, but they are pretty freakin cool! The illustrations are amazing. And the characters - I thought I wouldn't like the male main character, because he started out a little whiny for me. But he grew on me, and now I'm just dangling on lines from a monster in the sky, waiting to find out what happens next! How will we save the day, boys and girls? And how can cool machines and cool beasties co-exist peaceably?
Diana Peterfreund - "Rampant." Oh. My. God. Killer unicorns. Do I have to say more? I mean, do I? Fine. Killer unicorns and long lost lore of kick-ass girls with the only bloodlines and abilities to fight them. Kick-ass girls fighting killer unicorns. Cripes people, what else do you need? Oh, and it also has a really intense main character, fully realized secondary characters, romance, intrigue, fantastic writing, and DID I MENTION KILLER UNICORNS? The only other book of hers that I have read, however, "Secret Society Girl," is very well written as well. But it just irritated the crap out of me, so YMMV, I guess. I think it's just the concept of secret societies, college snobbery, and general asshattery that goes with it. I couldn't stop reading it, because I wanted to know what happened, but i was pissed off the whole time. In conclusion: Killer unicorns kick the ass of snobby ivy league assholes every time.
Justine Larbelestier - "Liar." This book - is really skillfully written. It's intriguing, compelling. But ... I'm not sure if I liked it. I like other books of hers. I like the "Magic or Madness" trilogy a lot. But "Liar" left me wanting it to be different, while knowing that it was exactly what it was supposed t be. I'm not sure that makes sense. If unreliable narrators are your thing, totally read this book. (That's not a spoiler, since the title kind of gives that away.) I didn't see most of the twists coming, anyway, and the things I did see coming I thought would work out differently than they did. Which wouldn't necessarily make me not like it, but ... I don't think I can discuss it without spoiling it, so I'll just conclude with really well written, probably not my bag.
Sarah Rees Brennan - "The Demon's Lexicon." I don't know for sure how to discuss this book without giving major spoilers away, so I think I'm going to have to go with generally vague. The writing style is very different, the brother protagonists are a neat twist, and the voice of the main character is one that should leave you a little cold but somehow doesn't. It's pretty neat, and I really enjoyed how she revealed her big mystery, and wrapped up the storyline just enough to give you satisfaction, but still want to read the next book. I recommend.
So, um, that's the list of YA books that I have lying around that I haven't put away yet. And there are totally 8 or 9 not-YA books that I haven't even discussed yet, but I think I'll leave those for another post. Because it's late, and I have successfully avoided laundry or much of anything else productive. But I have imparted to my wide LJ readership (of 10 people) my tastes and impressions of generally great YA books. Go me.
I don't suppose it's any surprise to anyone who knows me that I read a lot. And I read a lot of YA partly because it's totally my bag, and because I'm writing YA type stuff, and also did I mention it's my bag? So I'll start with the YA I've been reading lately. Um, gathering the books here so I can list them out, uh, I read a lot. And this isn't even counting the older stuff I've re-read just because I love it and can't stop myself. Huh. Er, here goes.
Shannon Hale - The Books of Bayern series which includes "The Goose Girl," "Enna Burning," "River Secrets," and "Forest Born." The first one starts with a very fairy tale feel to it, as the author jumped off from a fairy tale storyline. But the world gathers weight and a rolling forward of its own that just pulled me in. I like Ms. Hale's style, and I really enjoyed these books. I also liked her "Book of a Thousand Days," which is set in another world but still has that deep-set other culture folk tale feel. I highly recommend. Her characters are likeable without being too pat, and while some of the dialog doesn't always work for me, I think the writing is really sound otherwise. (Only *some* of the dialog didn't work for me. Other parts totally rocked.)
Thalia Chaltas - "Because I am Furniture," deals with abusive family issues. (No spoilers here, it says that on the jacket cover.) This is a story written in free-verse poetry told from the point of view of a girl whose family is broken. While it won't be everyone's cup of tea, I really liked it. I liked the punch of the ending lines in the poems, the sock in the gut that poetry delivers with the point of that thought, that verse. And I like that even in the midst of hell and heartbreak, this girl finds her voice and her strength and tells her story, punches and all.
Carrie Ryan - "The Forest of Hands and Teeth." As I told Scott that night when I crawled into bed, I am not allowed to read zombie apocalypse stories before bedtime. Or maybe at all. This is amazing writing, amazing storytelling, really intriguing characters and plot. But I was heartsick by the end of the book, and I don't think I can read the sequel (which is "The Dead-Tossed Waves," out now). If you like zombie apocalypses, I highly recommend this book. The writing is fabulous, and it's really original in feel. You can have my copy. I think I need it to leave the house to cut down on my nightmares.
Megan Whalen Turner - "A Conspiracy of Kings." This series begins with "The Thief," which is AWESOME, as are the next two books in the series, "The Queen of Attolia," and "The King of Attolia." And I can not say enough good things about this series. Buy it. Read it. Love it. The writing is amazing, the characters are intoxicating, and the plotlines - oh, the intricate, intricate details of planning! I aspire to be this good. I despair of ever making it. But I will buy and devour everything she writes from now on. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.
Catherine Gilbert Murdock - "Front and Center." This is a series that starts with "Dairy Queen," and then "The Off Season." I really like the voice of this character. This is a 15 year old farm girl in Wisconsin (I like it already) who loves sports more than anything. And she really wants to play football, which she knows she's good at because she plays with her brothers all the time. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue. Very well written, lots of sass and confusion, lots of big fish little pond and fish out of water kinds of stuff. Although more with cows than fish (dairy farm, duh).
Carrie Vaughn - "Voices of Dragons." I've read all the "Kitty" books of Carrie's, and I really enjoy them (they're not YA, so I'm not going to go into that here). This is her first published non-Kitty book, her first YA, and I like it even more. The main character is in high school, living in the Colorado town that borders the dragon territories. You heard me. And it's awesome. It's pretty clearly not a done story, but I don't know what the timeline is for more books in this world. But I'd still say read it and you'll love it. Because daredevil rockclimbing girls and their dragons are pretty freakin awesome, that's why. (Small disclaimer - I know Carrie from conventions and I like her personally. But I would read her books even if I didn't.)
Scott Westerfeld - "Leviathan." This is the first book of his that I've read. I've heard that the "Uglies" series is fantastic, but I just - dystopian societies (like zombie apocalypses) kind of freak me out. So I haven't tried them yet. But *this*, this is steampunk reimagining of World War I, and it has steampunk *and* fantastical Darwinist beasts of monstrous proportions. Living airships, people! He might not be the first to do it, but they are pretty freakin cool! The illustrations are amazing. And the characters - I thought I wouldn't like the male main character, because he started out a little whiny for me. But he grew on me, and now I'm just dangling on lines from a monster in the sky, waiting to find out what happens next! How will we save the day, boys and girls? And how can cool machines and cool beasties co-exist peaceably?
Diana Peterfreund - "Rampant." Oh. My. God. Killer unicorns. Do I have to say more? I mean, do I? Fine. Killer unicorns and long lost lore of kick-ass girls with the only bloodlines and abilities to fight them. Kick-ass girls fighting killer unicorns. Cripes people, what else do you need? Oh, and it also has a really intense main character, fully realized secondary characters, romance, intrigue, fantastic writing, and DID I MENTION KILLER UNICORNS? The only other book of hers that I have read, however, "Secret Society Girl," is very well written as well. But it just irritated the crap out of me, so YMMV, I guess. I think it's just the concept of secret societies, college snobbery, and general asshattery that goes with it. I couldn't stop reading it, because I wanted to know what happened, but i was pissed off the whole time. In conclusion: Killer unicorns kick the ass of snobby ivy league assholes every time.
Justine Larbelestier - "Liar." This book - is really skillfully written. It's intriguing, compelling. But ... I'm not sure if I liked it. I like other books of hers. I like the "Magic or Madness" trilogy a lot. But "Liar" left me wanting it to be different, while knowing that it was exactly what it was supposed t be. I'm not sure that makes sense. If unreliable narrators are your thing, totally read this book. (That's not a spoiler, since the title kind of gives that away.) I didn't see most of the twists coming, anyway, and the things I did see coming I thought would work out differently than they did. Which wouldn't necessarily make me not like it, but ... I don't think I can discuss it without spoiling it, so I'll just conclude with really well written, probably not my bag.
Sarah Rees Brennan - "The Demon's Lexicon." I don't know for sure how to discuss this book without giving major spoilers away, so I think I'm going to have to go with generally vague. The writing style is very different, the brother protagonists are a neat twist, and the voice of the main character is one that should leave you a little cold but somehow doesn't. It's pretty neat, and I really enjoyed how she revealed her big mystery, and wrapped up the storyline just enough to give you satisfaction, but still want to read the next book. I recommend.
So, um, that's the list of YA books that I have lying around that I haven't put away yet. And there are totally 8 or 9 not-YA books that I haven't even discussed yet, but I think I'll leave those for another post. Because it's late, and I have successfully avoided laundry or much of anything else productive. But I have imparted to my wide LJ readership (of 10 people) my tastes and impressions of generally great YA books. Go me.